The invention relates to an apparatus for producing a sleeve-type printing form from a plate-shaped blank with a device for fixing the plate-shaped blank as a flat raw form, a device for curving the raw form, and a welding machine by means of which the plate edges constituting the beginning and end of the printing form can be welded by means of a laser beam.
An apparatus of this type, which requires only the manual insertion of the plate-shaped blank, and which permits, after the insertion of the plate, the automatic curving and precise register-correct positioning of the plate ends to be connected or welded, is described in DE 43 11 078 C1.
To avoid having to cut the plate-shaped raw form to the correct length outside of the aforementioned apparatus by means of metal shears, DE 43 38 467 C1 suggests to improve the production process of the sleeve-type printing form in such a way that the plate-shaped raw form, whose width corresponds to the form cylinder, is cut roughly to a length greater than the printing form. The raw form, in a register-correct and curved state, is then cut correctly to length in the welding device with a laser beam serving as the cutting device. At least one waste piece is thereby created, which is then removed, and the two plate edges that constitute the beginning and end of the printing form are placed across from each other without overlap and are welded together.
It is known that electromagnetic radiation, from which the operating personnel must be protected, occurs during laser processes of this type.
The object of the invention is to provide an improved generic apparatus that provides complete radiation protection for the operating personnel before the laser process and also ensures such protection throughout the entire production process of the sleeve-type printing form, even during the removal of the sleeve-type printing form from the apparatus.